Statistics

The highly-respected, Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera, whom many of you would also have enjoyed as part of David Gilmour's touring band on his 2006 tour (and subsequent CD/DVD releases), enjoys a thriving solo career. Some of you may have heard his wonderful 2004 album, 6PM, partly on the strength of David guesting on it, or the follow-up, Firebird V11 which was released in 2008 to deserved acclaim.

Of course, more recently he worked extensively on The Endless River, helping to get that ready for release. But, not one to take it too easy, he's also been working on more of his own material - next Monday (March 23rd), a date worth noting in your diaries, is when Phil releases his new album, The Sound Of Blue in the UK and Europe. For those in the US, it is one week later (March 31st) and Canada follows (7th April).

Phil is releasing the album on his own label Expression Records, licensed to Universal Music Catalogue. The Sound of Blue is described as an instrumental memoir with one song, a cover of the track, 'No Church in the Wild' by Jay Z and Kanye West, who sampled Manzanera's guitar riff for the opening track of their 2012 smash album, 'Watch the Throne'. The Sound of Blue's 10 tracks are a musical memoir of this singular musician's life. Each track is illustrated by a short film created by Manzanera using personal iPhone and Super 8 footage. The album is produced by Manzanera and mastered by Pink Floyd soundman, Andy Jackson.

Phil: "When I write instrumental music I think about a possible narrative for each track. During the writing of The Sound of Blue it started evoking memories and emotions that I hadn't revisited in years: my 60's childhood in Latin America, Magdalena, my Colombian mother, the heady days in the 70s of early Roxy Music, music adventures in Spain and Sweden, days spent exploring Cornwall... and the unlikely musical coming together with two global rap stars. The Sound of Blue and its short films is in effect a sort of musical memoir."